Horse flies...

[Guest]

 

That time of year again at least down here in Dixie. Put these on cart, atv, swinging in the breeze over dog kennel, shed, pole barn, etc. If they get real bad hang one on the wifey in the garden. Too strong to put on dog collar, person at first actually.... $2.78 ea

 

[fshng2 0]

Good idea Denduke.

Do they work for no-see-ums and sheep flies?

If so it would come in handy on a fishing vest or pack.

[Poopdeck 0]

If your talking green headed horse flies, nothing works on them. I'm guessing a horse fly is different from a green head horse fly because the better place to hang them would be from your sneakers. Green heads are smart enough to attack far away from the hands. Nothing eats, kills or scares away those little buggers. I stopped summer flounder fishing because I can't mentally take them things and I don't have a big enough boat to go off shore.

[Guest]

Down here we have biting flies in the marsh, barrier islands. The only thing that works is the OffLotion, Skin so Soft.... Sweat in heat and lotion a pain. Gonna try some of these around the boat maybe. They are so strong outa the pack that makes me kinda nauseous. NoSeeum gnats are usually the horror in the marsh. My only experience is around the house and me and dog and by end July the horse flies disappear. Been using them for years. Don't run cows anymore. Good for 5 mo on a cow.

[Philly 0]

The infamous green heads, the terror of the Jersey shore. I met their Canadian counterpart up in Northern Ontario. They call them deer flies and they look just like ordinary house flies until they bite and draw blood. Myself and the guy I fished with went out armed with fly swatters. Them damn things could find a boat in the middle of the lake. If we were drifting near and island you could see where we had been by the string of dead flies behind the boat. I think black flies are the worst. They're small and you don't know you've been bitten until you notice the blood running from the bite. I lucked out last week in the Poconos last week and only got bit once.

[Guest]

"The outdoor scientists at the Gulf Coast Research Lab prefer Victoria's Secret Autumn Ambiance. Your favorite girl, maybe your friends, will give you a funny look when you return from Cat Island smelling like " une maison close ", la maison putain [Google it], but it really is effective!"

[mikechell 0]

Philly ... "Green Head Horseflies" are not the same thing as "Deer Flies". Those little house fly sized biting bastards are Deer Flies. Green Heads are worse, and bigger.

Fortunately, we don't have those down here. Regular, large, black horse flies only. Slow and avoidable.

[tjm 0]

Best stuff I've used against deer flies and mosquitoes a couple sprays lasts all day in the woods

This has no sunscreen, which breaks me out in hives, and I think it is the banana extract that keeps the bugs back.

I had read that Hawaiian Tropic was effective in the Boundary Waters, so tried this a few years ago and still use it daily, in summer.

[Lesg 0]

The only thing that works for me is a repellent with DEET in it and even that doesn't work on deer flies, but works well for mosquitoes and black flies. The only cure for deer/horseflies that I have found is a bug jacket. We like to joke that there only two seasons here. Black fly season followed by snow flies.

 

Les

[Peterjay 0]

Green heads are one of the nastiest critters imaginable, but I've had pretty good luck with Cutters as long as it's applied generously to every square inch of the body, including clothing; they'll bite right through fabric. At least mosquitos and no-see-ums leave most of your flesh intact. Damned green heads will eat you right down to the bone if you encounter enough of them. If they were as big as piranhas, there'd be a lot of skeletons walking around this neck of the woods. I've actually pulled up to a fishing spot and had them swarm all over the car to the extent that I just turned around and went home. On the bright side, they're only at their worst for a few weeks in July. (here on the Eastern Shore, anyway)

[Poopdeck 0]

Last time I went out in greenhead country I pulled up to the dock and ran screaming to my tow vehicle. As fast as I could jump in and close the door I still had 20 in the truck with me biting the crap out of my ankles but it was still better then being outside. Almost left my boat because I didn't want to get out to put it on the trailer. That was the last time I went out in any bay in NJ during the summer.

[Lesg 0]

Poopdeck,

Those guys sound worse than deer flies.

[mikechell 0]

Deer flies actually land and take a few seconds to settle and bite. You have time to target and smack 'em dead!

Green Headed Horseflies ... basically land mouth first. They are already biting before you even feel them land.

 

On top of that difference ... Green Heads are bigger ...

 

[Bryon Anderson 0]

I don't think we have the green heads in Michigan, thank goodness. we definitely have deer flies, though. They have got to be the most persistent creature in nature. Nothing (so far as I can tell) repels them. Fortunately, as Mike said, they are rather slow afoot, so with a little concentration you can stop walking and kill a few after they land on you and before they bite. That usually buys you less than five minutes before the next bunch shows up to torment you.

On a related note, trout like them--so much so that there are deer fly patterns sold in the fly shops up here.

[Poopdeck 0]

Deer flies actually land and take a few seconds to settle and bite. You have time to target and smack 'em dead!

Green Headed Horseflies ... basically land mouth first. They are already biting before you even feel them land.

 

On top of that difference ... Green Heads are bigger ...

 

deer vs greenhead.jpg

And they are quick as lightening. If your on top of your game you will swat one out of three. They are at the top of the food chain and nothing eats them. The picture alone sends a chill up my spine? I can endure most bugs but greenheads are a 1/2" of pure unstoppable evil. Use all the listerine and skin so soft concoctions you want they will eat you alive. A bee keeper suit is the only thing I can think of that may work.